Maurice Richard

Why Famous:A right-winger for the Montreal Canadians, Maurice "Rocket" Richard played 18 seasons in the NHL and was the first player to score 50 goals in a season and 500 goals in his career. He won one MVP award, was named to 13 All Star teams, and won 8 Stanley Cups.

Married Life

Historical Events in the Life of Maurice Richard

1944-12-28 Montreal right wing Maurice 'Rocket' Richard becomes first player in NHL history to score 8 points in one game with 5 goals and 3 assists in the Canadiens' 9-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings

1945-12-29 Montreal right wing Maurice Richard scores twice in Canadiens' 5-4 loss to Chicago Black Hawks to record his 100th NHL career goal; reaches mark in just 145 games, then fastest in history; since broken by Mike Bossy, 100 goals in 129 games

1947-04-19 After scoring 45 goals during the regular season, Maurice Richard is named MVP.

1951-01-10 Maurice Richard scores his 16th career hat trick in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-0 win over NY Rangers to bring his career total to 274 goals; passes Howie Morenz as NHL's #2 all-time leading goal scorer

1955-03-17 After Maurice Richard is suspended for the remainder of the season, riots break out in Montreal. 37 people are injured and over 100 are arrested. The following morning, Richard goes on the radio to ask citizens to stop vandalizing the city.